In Search of the Shortest Line @ C4L

IN SEARCH OF THE SHORTEST LINE
by Kathy Ellis
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It was urgent! That feeling that comes when you â€˜gotta go, gotta go, gotta go!' and I mean RIGHT NOW! Here I was in the middle of an arena with 17000 other women in search of the shortest bathroom line!

I walked into the concession area looking for the closest bathroom. Women swarmed , each with a purposeful and sometimes desperate look on her face. The only way to move was sideways. I began to edge to my right.

"Excuse me... I'm sorry"

"Excuse me... can I get through here? Have you seen the bathroom line?"

"This is the bathroom line," one lady spoke. I thought "Oh No! I will never make it." I stood there for a few minutes, pondering my pounding bladder.

"I know! I will go across the stadium to the handicapped entrance! Surely there will be a shorter line there!" I thought in distress. Making my slow progress back into the stadium through the crowd, I reached the steps and went down as fast as I could while trying to maintain my continent state.

Finally! I found my way to the handicapped entrance. A woman was standing in the middle of that entrance with a determined look. She was speaking to several women as I tried to make myself invisible and sneak past her to those ceramic halls that were crying out my name! She spotted me. Darn!

"You can't come this way", she said. "But... I just need .." "You can't come this way...there are bathrooms on the upper level."

Wasting no time, I began that hike up the steps again. This time I was completely on the opposite side of the stadium. Maybe the lines on this side wouldn't be so long.

I made it to the upper level. Surprised to find it was much less crowded, I spotted a bathroom. To my relief, there were only about 50 people in line ahead of me! I took my position. No one had better try to butt in front of me. I had worked too hard.

I looked around. People were walking, talking, eating. A nice looking young woman stepped up behind me.

"Is this the bathroom line?"

"Yes... I believe it is. I have been looking all over for the shortest one."

She said, "I hope I can wait. I really need to go to the bathroom!" I told her, "I know what you mean."

To make conversation, I asked her where she was from. "Texas" she said. "Me too!" "Where in Texas?" "You probably haven't heard of it... Oak Grove."
"Yes! I'm from the Texarkana area.. Small world, huh?"

We began talking as women do. She shared that she needed some help. She had many things going on. "My daughter is in trouble. She has a baby. I am raising it. She is mixed up with the wrong crowd, satanists, drugs, alcohol. I don't know what to do. She says she hates me," she poured her heart out to this stranger. We talked and bonded with each other while waiting to relieve ourselves.

Finally! We are at the door and can see the bathroom stalls! Doors began to open. We each went to our separate stall to take care of urgent business. All the time I was thinking, "Lord, why didn't I pray with her. She has so much heartache!" I kicked myself for not being bold enough to suggest a prayer.

I flushed the toilet and left the stall to wash my hands. Okay! Now I can think straight! I can walk straight too!

I looked up and there she was. I asked "May I pray with you?"

"Yes! I would like that." So we found a quiet corner in that stadium filled with over 17000 women and we prayed. I lifted both her and her daughter to the Lord in fervent prayer, asking Him to do His mighty work in both of them. When we finished and said our "Amen", with tears, she hugged my neck and thanked me. I said, "No, no... thank you!"

She turned and walked away, and left me amazed at how God had taken me from Texas to a stadium in Little Rock, across that sea of people, through detours and barricades to stand in a line next to her... so we could pray.

We didn't even leave behind an embarrassing puddle.

You may contact Kathy Ellis at: elredcrow@aol.com